TUR ABDIN: Syriac MP Tuma Çelik raises cold case of three murdered Syriacs in parliament

ANKARA/MARDIN – Syriac Member of Turkish Parliament for Mardin Tuma Çelik today has submitted parliamentary questions to the Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül regarding the unsolved murder case (Faili Meçhul) of three Syriacs in Turkey’s southeastern region of Tur Abdin, reports Syriac newspaper Gazete Sabro.

Together with driver Aydın Aydın of the minibus, Syriacs İsa Koç, Aziz Kalaycı, and Yusuf Özbakır were killed in an armed attack while on their way from Midyat to the Syriac village of Anhel (Yemişli) on January 13, 1993. Isa Koç was the Syriac village head of Anhel. Three others in the minibus were seriously injured in the attack.

The handful of Syriacs who remained in the ancient Syriac homeland of Tur Abdin (Mardin and its environs) after the Sayfo Genocide of 1915 have lived under many pressures and were often subjected to forced migration or killed in similar unsolved murders in the 1980s.

Hence MP Çelik’s states in his introductory; “In the 1990s, there were many such unsolved murders in the region. However, it is not known whether any investigation or prosecution has been initiated in relation to these crime cases. Such investigations are very important for the protection of human rights and the safety of life and property.” MP Tuma Çelik emphasizes that the state’s guarantee of the right to life of its citizens becomes visible from the state’s attitude to criminal events like these. He states that it is therefore essential to disclose information about these and similar events.

MP Tuma Çelik submitted the following questions to Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül:

• Is there an ongoing judicial process regarding the death of Aydın Aydın and the other persons?
• In case the judicial process has been closed, was anyone sentenced?
• Was any compensation paid to the families after the incident?
• Is there a legal case initiated at the European Court of Human Rights regarding the murder of Aydın Aydın and the other persons?

13 Ocak 1993 tarihinde Mardin'de yaşanan faili mechule ilişkin olarak Adalet Bakanı Abdulhamit Gül'ün yanıtlaması istemiyle soru önergesi verdik. pic.twitter.com/fqj0IUJjHg

— Tuma Çelik (@tuma_celik) January 13, 2022